After extending his own WSOP bracelet record to 12 with a victory in a $2,500 Razz event that drew a field of 309 last week, he broke a five-year bracelet drought and reminded everybody why it's better for big-time players to win big-time tournaments.

It just feels right.

The comparison may sound a tad absurd, but Hellmuth is sort of like tournament poker's version of the New York Yankees. He'd tell you that himself if given the option, so why not try to match the franchise championship for championship?

Hellmuth, who won the 1989 WSOP Main Event at 24, is brash, confident and at times can come off a bit as a caricature in a blend of beautifully choreographed madness.

He once declared in a legendary rant that “if luck weren't involved, I'd win every time.”

One person can cheer for him while another can root for his poker demise, and both would have substance in their arguments.

But the truth is that the game needs him to occasionally bag a big win, just as baseball can't function at its best if the Yankees are rotten.

What is poker without its colorful characters?

The 2011 WSOP was an interesting one for Hellmuth. While he won plenty of cash and made four final tables, finishing second in three of them, the lack of a win left a void for a man solely focused on breaking poker records.

“Last June, according to millions of players on the Internet, I was a horrible player,” Hellmuth told wsop.com. “By July 1st, I was then, you know, one of the greatest players.”

The Razz win boosts Hellmuth's profile in more ways than one.

Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan are tied for second in the all-time bracelet chase with 10, and the odds that either can catch Hellmuth now appear scant.

The 78-year-old Brunson only plays a limited WSOP schedule. He admits the constant 12-hour marathons demanded to win an event are too much for him to handle, and Chan, 55, hasn't posted a WSOP victory since 2005.

Hellmuth also has rid himself of his historically unfair reputation as a “Hold 'Em specialist.” While he has made final tables in games such as pot-limit Omaha and 2-7 Triple Draw, each of his 11 previous bracelets were won in Hold 'Em variations.

“I don't think people were bringing up the Hold 'Em quite as much anymore, but still, I'll take it,” Hellmuth said.

And if you factor in things such as an annual WSOP schedule that is now beefed up with more than 60 events and the fact that Hellmuth is only 47, talk of winning 25, 26 or 27 bracelets doesn't seem that exaggerated.

Hellmuth has won six events since 2000, averaging one win every other year.

The enormous fields in the modern era WSOP work against him. A constant infusion of great players under the age of 25 also may take aim at his record in due time.

But for now, the shine on poker's most enigmatic figure has regained its luster.

“If you want to be great in our game, you have to win,” Hellmuth said.